


Living Nightmare

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 04:26:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13896219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Louisa struggles with reality after Katja's race.





	Living Nightmare

In hindsight, Louisa really shouldn’t have gone back outside after her terrifying race with Katja that morning. But Dreamdrop needed training, and Louisa wasn’t ever going to reach the end of her ‘horses to train’ list if she took a day off. And so, ignoring the lingering fear nagging at the back of her mind, Louisa had gone out to the stables, gotten Dreamdrop ready for a race, and then ridden away.

At first, it had been okay. Dreamdrop had been as wonderful as ever, leaping over the obstacles with ease and even managing to complete the New Hillcrest race with no dramas. Even the race in Crescent Moon Village had been as good as ever.

And then, she’d reached the challenging Greendale race. And there, under the green canopy of leaves, Louisa’s mind had drifted back to the misty surroundings of Katja’s race. The ground vanished from under her, and Dreamdrop came to a sliding stop midrace, turning his head around to check on his panting and terrified rider.

Louisa’s eyes were wide and scared, and she trembled as she gripped the reins and Dreamdrop’s sides tightly.

“Louisa?” asked Dreamdrop. His voice seemed to break the spell, for his rider suddenly covered her face with her hands and let out a sob. Dreamdrop pinned his ears, wishing that he possessed the magical Soul Rider bond that would enable him to speak with the other horses. But he had not a drop of Soul Steed blood in him, he couldn’t even speak to his rider in her mind.

Dreamdrop suddenly felt movement on his back, and he turned in time to see his rider fall, having missed the stirrup in her sudden haste to get down, to feel solid ground beneath her. She clutched at the grass, but she wasn’t looking for her glasses, for they still sat on her face. It looked more like she was grounding herself. Dreamdrop looked around, hoping to find someone. Maybe he could go and get Lisa, but… he didn’t want to leave his rider. Not right here, in the middle of a racetrack.

“I’m sorry, boy,” said Louisa, petting Dreamdrop’s nose when he lowered his head to check on her. “I guess training was a bad idea.”

“It’s not the end of the world if you take a day off,” said Dreamdrop. “Not from training, at any rate. Maybe you should call Lisa.”

“Yeah,” said Louisa, but she looked forlornly at her phone. “I can’t… talk to her now, though. Not when I’m like this.”

“Well, you humans have fingers,” said Dreamdrop, pricking his ears forward as Louisa chuckled and tapped out a message to her girlfriend. It didn’t take long at all for Lisa to arrive, riding in on Starshine.

“What happened?” asked Lisa, dismounting to kneel on the ground in front of her girlfriend, who still sat on the ground.

“I think… I’m starting to see things,” said Louisa. “Things that aren’t there, things that… like in the race.” Her lower lip trembled, but she tried to stop it.

“That bitch,” said Lisa, wrapping her arms tightly around her girlfriend. “Yeah, she can cheat, but the after-effects…”

“I don’t even know if this is real,” said Louisa, looking down at the ground. “If we’re even in Greendale, in Jorvik.”

“What was it like?” asked Lisa. “Katja’s race, I mean. Maybe talking about it will help you get through it.”

“One second, I was on top of Scarecrow Hill, and the next, I was suddenly on a bridge or a dock,” said Louisa. “Goldenhills Valley was gone. And after the bridge, there was suddenly a stone place like in Pandoria, and there were these phantom horses and riders, and then, suddenly, I was in Moorland? And I jumped through a wall and…” She closed her eyes, trembling. “And then, I was back in Scarecrow Hill, like none of that had happened.”

“So, that’s why you were so quiet,” said Lisa. “I thought it was only because you were in shock over what Katja said.”

“Well, it wasn’t,” said Louisa. “It was because of that race. I didn’t know she could do that, the way Alex talked about her, she just said that Katja could lie and play mind tricks. Which, by the way, why did you immediately believe her about Concorde?”

“Because she had to tell the truth or risk being trapped in Pandoria again,” said Lisa. Louisa snorted, a wet sound, and wiped her nose.

“She just told you where he wasn’t, though,” said Louisa.

“Okay, so maybe we jumped to conclusions,” said Lisa. “But you’re avoiding the problem, my dear.” She stroked her hand over Louisa’s hair. “How long has this not-realness thing been happening to you?”

“Only this once,” said Louisa. “And it might be a fluke, but what if it’s not? What if I’m just riding around one day, and suddenly, I’m in Pandoria? Or what if I go to sleep and then wake up to the apocalypse? Is it just lingering effects of that race, or am I going crazy?” She looked at her girlfriend with tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know,” said Lisa. “But Alex might be able to help, I know that James used to have chronic nightmares after Katja kidnapped him and used him as a vessel to send that message.”

“Yeah, I was there when his nightmares were cured,” said Louisa. “For the second time. They started up again when Katja came back.”

“Damn,” said Lisa. “But hey, at least it’ll be fresh. Let’s go ask her, come on, she’s still hanging out in Fripp’s home.”

“Yeah, I know, she’s been hanging out with Evergray a lot lately, working on a cure for the Pandorian sickness,” said Louisa. “But are you sure that I should bother her about it?”

“Yes, go and bother her about it,” said Lisa, pulling her girlfriend to her feet. “Trust me, it’ll be better than the endless nightmares.” Louisa bit her lips but nodded and climbed back into Dreamdrop’s saddle, stroking his mane.

“Have you ever had anything like that happen?” asked Louisa as they set off towards the inn by the bridge.

“The unreality? Yeah, the Generals used it on me, too,” said Lisa. “When they ambushed Starshine and I.”

“And how did you deal with it?” asked Louisa.

“Well, Lin made me a dream-catcher,” said Lisa, smiling. “Which was really nice of her. She put some of her Moon magic in it, too, so it’d be really powerful.”

“Do those things really work, though?” asked Louisa.

“Well, the ones in Jorvik do,” said Lisa. “Obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.” Louisa frowned in concern at her girlfriend. Lisa saw the look, and gave her a reassuring smile, reaching across to rub her girlfriend’s wrist. “Hey, I don’t have them anymore. I’m sure that Lin wouldn’t mind making you a more potent one, too.”

“Alright, I’ll ask her,” said Louisa. “But Alex first.”

“Eh, Linda’s there, too,” said Lisa, shrugging. “Nothing could drag her away from those books.”

“I believe that,” said Louisa, smiling slightly. The two of them continued on towards Fripp’s house, and Louisa noticed that Lisa rode close enough and slow enough so that she could keep her hand on some part of her girlfriend. She smiled, glad for the anchoring touch.

“I thought I’d find you two here,” said Lisa as the portal closed behind Louisa in Fripp’s home. She held her girlfriend’s hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of it soothingly. Louisa wondered if Lisa knew how much she loved her right in that moment.

“We’re both busy with out own projects,” said Alex from the table before looking back down at her book.

“Yeah, well, this is important, so pay attention,” said Lisa.

“More important than saving Anne?” asked Alex, not tearing her eyes away from her book. Lisa scowled.

“Louisa got affected pretty badly by Katja’s race,” said Lisa. Both girls finally looked up at that.

“How so?” asked Linda, closing her book after marking the page with a ribbon.

“Tell her,” said Lisa, nudging her girlfriend forward. Louisa stepped forward, suddenly feeling nervous. She wiped her hands on her pants.

“I hallucinated, I think,” said Louisa. “I was riding through Greendale, training Dreamdrop, and the ground suddenly disappeared.” She trembled as she remembered that terrifying moment, when she’d thought that she was going to fall to her death. She’d never been so glad to hit the ground.

“That definitely sounds like a hallucination,” said Linda, frowning. “Is this the first time that’s happened to you?”

“First time since that race, yeah,” said Louisa, nodding and rubbing her arm.

“Damn, we didn’t even think to ask about the race with everything that happened,” said Alex, frowning and finally stepping away from the table to walk down to her friend. “What exactly happened back there?”

“I don’t know,” said Louisa, shaking her head, and told Alex what she’d told Lisa earlier. Alex was still frowning when Louisa finished, though she looked angrier, now.

“She is the worst rider,” said Alex, pacing the room. “She can’t win unless she cheats, and she knows it, which is probably why she cheats the way she does.”

“I know,” said Linda, nodding. “But, horsewomanship aside, did James go through something like this, too? I remember that he had nightmares, you had me suppress them.”

“No,” said Alex, shaking her head. “Not the hallucinations, he just had the nightmares and a fear of white-clad people. We had to keep him away from vets and scientists for a while, there.”

“Well, James didn’t go through what I went through, did he?” asked Louisa.

“No, and I’m glad he didn’t,” said Alex. “The nightmares were bad enough.”

“I’ll make you a dreamcatcher,” said Linda. “You haven’t had any nightmares, have you?”

“No,” said Louisa, shaking her head. “Not yet, but I know that it takes the subconscious a while to process stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had a nightmare tonight.”

“Hopefully I can get this done before then,” said Linda, heading for the portal. “I’ll be at Elizabeth’s while I make it, I’ll text you when it’s done.”

“Thanks, Linda,” said Louisa, smiling at her. Linda smiled back and waved as she disappeared through the portal.

“How did James deal with the fear?” asked Louisa.

“Locked himself in his room and played video games,” said Alex, shrugging. “You’re welcome to do the same, if you want. Elizabeth still hasn’t gotten back to us about the Star Breeds thing she mentioned.”

“Honestly, that sounds like a great idea,” said Louisa. “I’ll just play some tame video games.”

“Maybe watch some cartoons,” Lisa added. “Read. Just throw yourself into something so that you don’t need to worry about reality.”

“So, in other words, lose myself in a good book,” said Louisa. Lisa nodded, smiling.

“Or movie or show or game or just whatever,” said Lisa. “Of course, I’d also be willing to help distract you in another way.” She winked, and Louisa blushed.

“Um, guys, I’m right here,” said Alex.

“Sorry,” said Lisa with a laugh. “But I’ll be there for you, babe.”

“Thank you,” said Louisa, smiling at her girlfriend and giving her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around Lisa, resting her head on her girlfriend’s chest. “You’ve always been there for me.”

“Well, you were there for me when I first came back,” said Lisa, stroking her girlfriend’s hair. “And would’ve been when I was going through that really heavy shit if I’d told you about it.”

“And, hey, it was our idea to have you as our champion, so we owe you,” said Alex. “I’ll send you a list of games that James has, see if you like any of them.”

“And I’m more than happy to take over your jobs while you’re taking a break,” said Lisa, rubbing her girlfriend’s back. Louisa smiled again, relaxing in Lisa’s embrace.

“I’ll be sure to let you know if anything happens,” said Louisa, looking back at Alex.

“Good,” said Alex, nodding as she stood in the middle of the room. “If I can think of anything else, I’ll let you know.”

“I’ll accompany you back to Herman’s,” said Lisa, turning back towards the portal.

“Good luck with the research, Alex,” said Louisa, giving her friend a grin and a wave as she left.

“Good luck with the weird mind stuff,” said Alex, giving her a wave as well before returning to her books.

As promised, Lisa accompanied Louisa back to Herman’s, where she insisted that her girlfriend sit down while she made the tea. Louisa felt a little better, though that was partly from the cat in her lap, as she sat on the couch and watched something on Jorflix. She could faintly hear the sounds of Lisa making tea in the kitchen, and it comforted her greatly to know that her girlfriend was so close. This morning had been scary, but at least Lisa was here now. She didn’t know what she would have done if this had happened only a year ago, when Lisa had been absent.


End file.
